Spiny Norman

http://www.ridemyown.com/articles/safety/handsignals.shtml

They have this right.

You have the right to stay in your lane and check over your left AND right shoulders to make sure one of these vintage scooterists with a really fast bike isn't racing up between lanes or to the left or right of the group.

You also need to look out for the road guards who also race up the left and right sides of a group to block traffic.

Don't be the asshole who just swerves out of his lane because he felt like getting in the next one over without checking to see if someone was coming.

Oh, and don't ride on the fast curvy rides if you can't cut curves. If you throw out of a curve and hit another rider then you're a fuck up.

Don't go on fast long rides if you can't keep up. When rides have a minimum speed posted that means minimum speed, not maximum speed, not average speed. Minimum means on a hill climb you had best be doing that minium speed, not 10 miles below it.

-These are just my views on what should be the rules for group rides so feel free to disagree with me.

David K

In my dreams, I slash your tires.

Riding Safely in a Group By John M. Stafford "You thought the rides were organized? I must have gone on the different ride where nobody blocked traffic and 200 scooters had to pull over onto a busy street to wait for all the groups that were behind." For some people a scooter ride means daily solo rides to work, never interacting with other riders. But for the vast majority of people this is no fun. A ride means RIDE. Moving down the street alongside other scooters, not waiting for stragglers, not standing around watching breakdowns get fixed, and most certainly not getting into accidents with cars and other riders. A successful group ride requires preparation on the part of the ride organizers and common sense on the part of the participants. Organizing the ride In an ideal world every time a group of scooters travels down the street, the cross streets would be closed off and the police would provide an escort. When the annual Rolling Thunder ride brings a parade of 100,000 motorcycles and scooters to the National Mall every Memorial Day that is just what happens. For three hours 10 miles of road in downtown Washington, D.C. are closed down by the police. And in a parade the standard rules about helmets, registration, and insurance are thrown out the window. Getting police cooperation for a ride that covers a long distance, crosses jurisdictional boundaries, or for a ride with a relatively small number of bikes is probably too much hassle. And the police are liable to dictate your route to you as well. So how do you successfully organize a ride? Planning. While it is helpful that everyone on a ride know (and have a map of) the entire route, it is more important that a few key people know the route well. In a ride of a dozen or fewer bikes, experienced riders should be at the front and tail end of the group. The ride leader can then watch for presence of the tailender to ensure that group is together. Also if the group does become separated the tailender can then become the leader of the second, smaller group. In larger rides, other experienced riders must be recruited as traffic blockers. These riders will block each intersection to ensure that the entire ride makes it safely through each intersection regardless of traffic lights and stop signs. Technically blocking traffic is illegal (and is dangerous for those blocking traffic), but it is far better option than having cars sitting in the middle of a pack of bikes. The ride leader must be familiar enough with the route to be able to anticipate the traffic signals. If it is at all possible (especially in these days of red light cameras) to avoid having anyone in the group violate a traffic law then do so, even if that means stopping at a green light. When the group makes a turn, the group should stop to ensure that all riders make the turn. The ride leader must be aware when the group is becoming too stretched out and come up with logical stopping points to allow the group to coalesce again. The group is not safe when it becomes separated.. Safety first The Prime Directive of any ride is the safety of all riders. A ride is not successful if all riders don't get home safely, health intact. Thus don't drive drunk. It is okay to have a beer with lunch, but it is also okay (and is probably preferred) to have a soft drink instead. Don't show up for a ride drunk or high or tired. We all want each ride to be as large as possible, but if you're not capable of riding safely, stay home. Bring the proper safety equipment. This means a full-face helmet, gloves, jacket, and jeans. That half-shell helmet may look fashionable, but as someone who has been in an accident that landed him on the face shield of his helmet, I can say from experience that a full face helmet saved my life. When the group is moving, it is imperative that you maintain a safe following distance. This means riding in a staggered formation, each bike two seconds behind the one in front of it. Don't pair up next to another bike (especially the ride leader), if you do you neither you nor the bike next to you will have an "out" to avoid road hazards and you may miss an upcoming turn. Allow other riders to pass you. While it is best if everyone stays in the same position consistently throughout the ride, there will be occasions where the traffic blockers need to return to the front of the pack, or where fast riders with good tires want speed through a curve. I have led rides up on the Blue Ridge Parkway in the mountains of Virginia, on this beautiful stretch road with no traffic lights or stop signs, I have instructed each rider to ride as fast as their skills allow. This puts the faster riders in the front and the slower bikes in the rear. Each bike then meets up a specified overlook so the group can coalesce at regular intervals. In a city ride with lots of traffic signals, it is better to put the slower riders up front so the experienced riders can keep an eye on them. The ride leader must do his best to keep the ride together, but the other riders must also keep up. There is nothing more irritating than riding with a group of fast bikes, maintaining the speed limit, while pulling away from the pack. A pack that is stretched-out encourages cars to insert themselves between bikes. Not only does a car in the pack limit the leader's vision of the group, it also dramatically increases the chances someone will get hit. If, god forbid, a scooter does go down, the entire ride should immediately stop, and tend to the injured rider(s). Some riders may need to give first aid, someone may need to call for help, and the other will need to signal approaching vehicles of the accident. You're an adult, act like one If you are capable of doing wheelies or other stunts, great. Just don't do them in the middle of a group of bikes. Showing off is child's behavior and is more likely to injure your fellow riders than impress them. Prepare for the ride before the ride. The time to adjust your cables, your tire pressure, and ensure your brakes work is before you get to the ride. It is not fair to any other rider to have to sit around and wait for you to fix stuff. Don't be publicly embarrassed by being sent away from a ride because your scooter has safety issues. Carry tools and spares with you. We understand that plugs foul, tires flatten, and cables break. But it is not up to other rides to rescue you. Make sure you have the necessary wrenches, screwdrivers, spark plugs, and usable spares to fix any problem. Gas up and carry oil (with a mixing cup if necessary) before you get to the meeting place.. On a small ride it is quite possible to make that first stop at a gas station. But consider the time it would take for the 275+ scooters that attend Kings Classic to gas up at one station at one time. A gas stop would not be fair to any rider. If you have a scooter that is a pain to start, don't be the last one to start your bike. When everyone else dons their helmets, you should already be kicking. Again it's not fair for everyone to have to wait around for you. The Darwinian model of group rides During a small ride, if a scooter breaks down, all riders should stop while the situation is assessed. If the problem is a simple one and can be fixed in less than 10 minutes, then by all means do the repair. If the ride leader feels compelled to fix a difficult problem, he should ensure that there is a back-up ride leader to keep the ride moving. Nobody wants to leave a friend behind, however if the problem can't fixed on the side of the road or is recurring then the owner of the faulty bike needs to be prepared to sit and wait. Your friends want to ride with you, but you can't ride when you're all standing on the side of the road. Larger rides with chase trucks should allow the chase truck to handle the breakdowns. The whole point of the chase truck is to prevent the bulk of the riders from being affected by a breakdown. On rides the size of Kings Classic or Rolling Thunder, you're own your own. Rides of this size are just too important to be inconvenienced by a breakdown. If you can't keep your bike running properly, tough luck. Be realistic about how reliable your scooter is, if it is problematic, if cannot make the entire ride without a breakdown, then stay home. You don't want your problems to ruin everyone else's day do you? Eric Essen and Chrissy Hyatt contributed to this article

Enjoy,
John M. Stafford

"Ban? Y'all thought I was banned? God, you really are a dumbass."

If you see something wrong with someone's scoot.. let them know.. before their wheel falls off or something and someone else wrecks as they run over it... I've seen this happen it is not nice..

If you see someone riding like a jackass.. just give them room.

If you ride like a jack ass... give other people room to get out of your way....

In twisty roads... it's best to go single file.. this is usually obvious when the road gets twisty enough and you're going over 30 mph...

Don't ever expect someone to do exactly what you think is the right thing - give them room to screw up... and give yourself enough room to avoid a conflict with them.

Undead, Unfriendly & Unstoppable